


Same Old Nightmare

by NaomiLotus



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: POV First Person, POV Sans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:18:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7044388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaomiLotus/pseuds/NaomiLotus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sure, he had had nightmares before, but not the same as this one. This one was different - it felt <i>real</i>. It doesn't help that they aren't always nightmares. Sometimes they are dreams, but... it's always the same person. Whether it's a sweet dream or horrific nightmare, it's always the same human who either makes all his dreams come trues, or crushes all his hopes without hesitation.</p><p>And now they're becoming more and more frequent.</p><p>And now they're becoming more and more real.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking Up Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, I just finished my last fanfic (Stay), so I'll be moving onto this. I felt like writing one focused on Sans, so... here goes!

"heh, did you really think you'd be able to-"

Swipe.

Blood.

Dust.

I awoke with a start, banging my head on the ground. Damn it... I fell of the couch, didn't I? I rubbed the back of my head, as Papyrus burst out of his room.

"SANS?!" he shouted. "I HEARD A BANG! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

I looked up, and waved weakly at my brother. "hey pap. i'm fine, everything is fine." That was a lie. _Nothing_ was fine. That dream - no, that nightmare didn't feel like a nightmare. It felt real. It felt _too_ real. Like it was actually happening. Like, in another universe, another timeline, another me was dying in that exact same way. I couldn't shake off the feeling of turning to dust.

Papyrus frowned. "ARE YOU S-"

"yup," I interrupted. "just a nightmare, that's all." That was also a lie. It wasn't _just_ a nightmare. It was the same nightmare I had been having for at least a week now... I honestly didn't know what it meant.

"SANS, YOU'VE WOKEN UP FROM NIGHTMARES FOR THE PAST WEEK OR SO," Papyrus, as much as I hated him for it, reminded me. "DO YOU... WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?"

My face darkened. No... I didn't want to talk about it. Only... I did want to talk about it. But... I couldn't talk about it. I didn't want to make Papyrus worried. He was one of the only things that made me want to continue in this world. He was the person I loved the most. And I couldn't let myself drag him into the very thing he helps me escape from. However, I... I couldn't say no to him. At least, not forever. I had refused to talk a few times before, but I knew that someday I would have to tell him. "pap, i, uh... i'm..."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT IF YOU DON'T WANT," Papyrus said, which brought a slight smile to my face.

"th-thanks," I replied.

"B-BUT..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU, SANS..."

I looked down, trying to avoid his gaze. "d-don't be, alright? i mean, they aren't _that_ bad..." Papyrus opened his mouth to say something else, but I interrupted. "just go back to sleep, ok? don't worry 'bout me."

Papyrus hesitated. "OK... B-BUT, UH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND THE REST OF THE NIGHT IN MY ROOM?" he offered.

I shook my head. "nah, i like the couch."

"O-OK THEN. GOOD NIGHT, BROTHER." He returned to his room, and I went to sit back on the couch. I didn't really feel like going back to sleep - which was strange for me, considering I spend most of my time either sleeping or making bad puns - so I turned on the TV and flicked through the small amount of channels we have down here. Nothing on. Of course. Mettaton's the only person who makes _good_ shows (and shows in general, really), and he was probably asleep, not making live appearances late at night.

Sighing, and turned off the TV, and slouched down. Why does life have to suck so much?


	2. Knock Knock

The next morning, Papyrus came out of his room whilst I was still sat on the couch. I hadn't slept all night, which surprised Papyrus when he found out (the conversation went something like this: "SANS, DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?" "nope."), but after that nightmare... I couldn't sleep. If I remembered correctly, the only reason I... the only reason it happened was because I fell asleep. _Great job, Sans! Your weakness is the one thing you do the most!_

Me and my brother made our way down to our posts in Snowdin Forest. We worked as sentries there, looking out for humans. I had never seen a human myself, and from what I could tell it had been decades since the last human fell. Either I wasn't alive, or I was too young to remember. Probably the former. I waved goodbye to Papyrus, then sat down, leaning on the big purple door.

I knocked on it, and said, "knock knock."

"Who is there?" a woman's voice asked.

I smiled. This woman, I didn't even know her name, but through the years of talking through the door, we had become close friends. Sort of. It all started one day when I was practising knock knock jokes on the door, not expecting anyone to respond. However, someone actually _did_ reply, and since then we had been telling bad puns and telling each other 'bout our terrible lives through the locked door.

"moustache."

"Moustache who?"

"i moustache you a question, but i'll shave it for later."

And then she just burst out with laughter. Like always. This made me fell better almost instantly. Honestly, I was still shaken up from the nightmare last night, so seeing - or, in this case, _hearing_ \- someone happy made me fell happy. Almost. Just like Papyrus, this woman was one of the only things that made me want to continue in this world. My younger brother, and a lady I've never even seen... those are the people who stop me from entirely giving up.

"Knock knock," she said.

"who's there?" I asked.

"Woo."

"woo who?"

"Don't get excited, it's just a knock knock joke!"

Then it was my turn to burst out with laughter. Yup, this woman was pretty good. This went on for a while. As it did every day. But then, she stopped laughing. Suddenly, she became very serious.

"C-can you promise me something?" she asked.

I hesitated. "i, uh..."

"If a human every comes through this door, please... take care of them, and make sure they are alright," she pleaded.

I hated making promises, because, well... not all promises I could keep. So I usually avoided them at all costs. But... this lady was someone I couldn't say no to. "i, um, yeah. i promise."


	3. A Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating yesterday, I wasn't really feeling up to it. I do try to update everyday though. At least you got two updates on Wednesday :)
> 
> Also, I know this is short, but don't worry. Next chapter will be a long one (hopefully) :)

After she left, I drifted off to sleep. I suppose I must have been extremely tired, since I hadn't slept the night before after waking from the nightmare. Luckily, this time there was no nightmares. I woke up to the sound of the door opening.

"huh?" I muttered. "nobody every comes out the door..."

I peeked over the bush I was sat behind, and saw... _a-a human?!_ I thought to myself. _no way!_ I hadn't forgotten the promise I just made - I had to look after them, and make sure they are alright. But, well... a promise like that wasn't easy to keep. Especially if they are anything like the human in my dream. Still, I silently followed them through the forest, teleporting to the side whenever they turned around. Finally, the reached the bridge.

"human." They stopped. "don't you know how to greet a new pal? turn around and shake my hand."

They cautiously turned around, and took my hand. A fart noise went off. They giggled. I took my hand back, and put them in my pockets.

"heh heh," I laughed. "the old whoopee cushion in hand trick. it's _always_ funny."

Then, I noticed their face. They... they looked exactly like the human in my dreams, and nightmares. _no way... they can't be them, can they?_ I told myself that it was virtually impossible for them to be the same human.

"uh, anyways, you're a human, right?" They nodded. "that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton."


	4. Snowdin Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I am so, so sorry for the delay! I've been busy with school and stuff, so I've only just got a chance to sit and write this... I'll try to update a bit more from now on, promise!

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to think of the human. They looked exactly like the human from my nightmares, but... they didn't _act_ like it. They seemed more... happy, I suppose. Like they actually wanted to have fun, and make friends, and solve puzzles. But every now and then, I could see a glint of red in their eyes, and I would find myself staring at the familiar expression they would give me in my nightmares, every time they came up to face me... that expression of someone who had died many times in a row...

They were just about to walk to the next area, when I stopped them. "hey, hate to bother ya, but could you do me a favour?" They nodded. "my bro been kinda down lately, and seeing a human for the first time might just make his day. so, y'know, it'd really make him happy if you just go along with it. don't worry, he's not dangerous or anything... even if he tries to be." They nodded again. "thanks a million. i'll be up ahead." 

I walked in the opposite direction, back towards the door, before finding myself standing next to Papyrus. "hey bro."

Papyrus turned to me with a startled expression. "BROTHER! YOU REALLY MUST STOP DOING THAT!"

I shrugged. "well, i'd much rather take a good old fashioned shortcut than actually _walk_ over here."

He was about to reply, when he stopped the human walking towards us. He looked at me. 

"OH MY GOD, SANS... IS THAT... IS THAT A HUMAN?" he asked, half whispering half shouting.

I looked behind the human. "uh, actually, i think that's a rock."

"OH."

"hey, what's that in front of the rock?"

He frowned, and looked back at the human. "OH MY GOD, SANS! IS THAT A HUMAN?!"

"yes."

"OH MY GOD!" He went on to tell the human a speech he had prepared, about how he was going to give them puzzles and capture them and whatnot. I didn't listen. At the end, I just told them I'd keep an eyesocket out for them, then walked away to meet Papyrus at the first puzzle, which was the 'invisible electricity maze'.

I had been thinking... what if the human was from my dreams instead? The dreams were everything goes right. The dreams were we become nice friends, sharing good food and enjoying bad laughs. The dreams were we get our perfect happy ending...

"SANS?!" Papyrus snapped me out of my thoughts. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"huh?" I looked over at him. "oh, uh... i think the human has to hold the orb?"

"OH..."

After the human easily got through the maze thanks to Papyrus' footprints, solved a word search that I had kindly given to them, and walked over that tile thing Alphys made, they made it to the final puzzle...

"THE GUANTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" Papyrus announced. "WHEN I SAY THE WORD IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN, LEAVING ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY! ARE YOU READY?" The human nodded. "BECAUSE. I. AM. ABOUT. TO DO IT!" He paused.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated," I noticed.

"WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS! MAYBE... TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH?" They let out a small giggle. "YES! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE FAIR, AND MY TRAPS EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT... NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!" Ok, that got me laughing slightly as well.

This seemed like a good plan, on my behalf. Papyrus seemed like he had grown to like the human, and the human hadn't even died a single time! See, I can keep a promise, and make my bro happy at the same time!

Today had been successful, I think.


	5. His Scarf

_papyrus can handle this now,_ I told myself. _i mean, it's not like the human will hurt him, right?_

I knew Papyrus would head towards Waterfall in order to stop the human there, and capture them. That's what he was trying to do the entire time, right? And, well, I believed in him. I knew he could do it. I was certain that, someday, he would make it in the guard...

Oh, who am I kidding, the chances of that were slim. He was far to innocent to do that. But I couldn't just crush his dreams. 

Maybe he could be a cook instead? Undyne _was_ giving him cooking lessons.

I entered the house, and laid down on the couch, falling asleep immediately. It seemed I had only slept for about two seconds when I woke up, though it had probably been at least an hour. No nightmares, either. Good.

Papyrus wasn't in. Was he still fighting the human? Curious, I left the house and made my way towards Waterfall. There, I found it. A ripped up piece of red fabric was half-buried in the snow, coating in grey dust. The human was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Papyrus.

Then it hit me.

It was his...

His scarf...

A tear fell down my face, as I knelt down and touched it.

It really was his.

He was...

"papyrus! no, papyrus! i'm so sorry, i..."

Clutching the scarf, I collapsed to the ground.

"papyrus! i... no, papyrus! no!"

"SANS!?"

I awoke with a start. Papyrus was there. It was just another nightmare...

"I HEARD A BANG! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

This all seemed... oddly familiar.

"oh, uh, hey pap. i'm fine," I lied.

"ARE YOU S-"

"yup. just a nightmare."

Another nightmare...

I really needed to talk to the kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the last chapter, so... yeah. be prepared :)


	6. Repeated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, so... yeah. Prepare :)

The next few hours were... interesting, to say the least. It seemed as if everything just repeated itself. I went down to the door at the end of the forest, made the exact same promise to the lady who lived beyond the door, then the human came through.

"human."

They turned around before I could say anything else. But they still laughed at the whoopee cushion.

"heh, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. hey, have you heard it before?" I asked. "you turned around before i said to, so..."

Papyrus said he recognised the human, but soon decided his mind must have been playing tricks on him. Myself, I wasn't so sure.

Anyway, the rest went to plan. The human went through Snowdin Forest, exactly the same as last time. They befriended every monster, solved every puzzle, and then it was time to fight Papyrus. This time, I didn't go to sleep. Instead, I watched the battle. I couldn't make the same mistake as I did in my nightmare. I could just let him die...

The human spared him.

_thank god_

Still, I had to talk to the human. So, as they entered Waterfall, I called out to them, and invited them for lunch at Grillby's. Once we arrived, we sat down on the seats near the bar, and Grillby went to get us some burgers.

"so, i have a few questions for ya," I said. "firstly, can you talk?"

They nodded.

"so, you're just the quiet type?"

They nodded again.

"ok. got it. so, down to business..."

Grillby brought our food.

"have we met before?" I asked. After they didn't respond, I continued. "and, if we did... did you fight him? papyrus... did you... spread his dust? did you kill... me?"

Silence. 

Laughter.

The human was laughing. Louder and louder. They looked at me, their eyes glowing red. And they continued to laugh.

"You remember?" they exclaimed. "Oh, this has made things far more interesting! So, how'd you do it? How did you gain enough _determination_ to remember the RESETs?"

I stared at them. "ok, nope, not dealin' with this. if you dare hurt my brother again, you'll wish me and you never met. see ya." A Gaster Blaster appeared behind me, and they're heart shattered.

_they'll just come back anyways..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's it. Please tell me in the comments what you thought about this book :) honestly, it's not my best, but I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
